Automated gluing device

ABSTRACT

A gluing device for automatically gluing and folding a gluable item. The gluing device includes a support structure upon which a gluing apparatus and a support plate assembly are mounted. The support plate is configured for supporting and aligning a gluable item for gluing and assembly by the gluing apparatus. The gluing apparatus includes a first clamp configured for selectively and securely holding a first portion of the gluable item on the support plate, a glue dispensing nozzle fluidly coupled to a glue supply, and a folding apparatus configured for folding the first portion of the gluable item onto a second portion of the gluable item after glue has been applied. A method for automatically gluing and folding a gluable item is also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of, and priority to, U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/114,282, filed on Nov. 13,2008, and entitled “BOX GLUING DEVICE;” U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/259,211, filed on Nov. 8, 2009, and entitled“AUTOMATED BOX GLUING DEVICE;” and PCT International Application No.PCT/US2009/064248, filed with the United States Receiving Office on Nov.12, 2009, and entitled “BOX GLUING DEVICE” which are hereby expresslyincorporated herein by this reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to the manufacture andconstruction of packaging materials.

2. The Relevant Technology

Numerous devices are used in the corrugated board industry to convert acutout blank into a corrugated box. Some of these devices are able tocut, crease, fold and/or glue corrugated blanks in order to create abox. The gluer is often grouped as one in a series of machines operatingto convert paperboard blanks, one-by-one, into boxes. The gluerordinarily receives a folded blank with four side-by-side panels thatare separated from one another by longitudinal creases and slots. Eachof the panels also includes opposing flaps that can be folded to formthe top and bottom of the box. Additionally, one of the panels alsoincludes a glue tab. The gluer applies glue to the glue tab and/or andadjacent panel and presses the glue tab against the adjacent panel,thereby creating a box with four connected sides.

Typical gluers are relatively large, complex machines. These machinesoften have conveyer belts for advancing the corrugated blanks throughthe machine. Typical gluers also include glue applicators that may bemechanically driven along a portion of the corrugated blank in order toapply glue to the glue tab. Additionally, many gluers include means forapplying pressure to the glue tab, such as a pneumatic arm, in order tobond the glue to the glue tab and the adjacent panel. Because of thecomplex nature of typical gluing devices and the need to ensure propertiming of the glue dispenser and the other moving parts, gluers oftenhave computers or other electronics that control the operation of thevarious parts of the machine to prevent the moving parts from collidingwith one another. For example, the computer or other electronics maycoordinate the timing and control the operation of one or more pneumaticarms for folding the box blank, a glue applicator for applying glue tothe box blanks, and a compression device for applying pressure to theglued portions of the box blank, such that none of these componentsinterferes with the others. The complex nature of these gluers, with thenumerous moving parts and electronics, increases the cost of themachines as well as often requiring significant maintenance andoperating expenses.

In addition to their relatively complex nature, typical gluers are oftenvery large. A corrugated blank that is glued with a typical gluer isusually folded such that the glue flap extends down the middle of thecorrugated blank. Gluers are therefore made with a large C-shaped frame.The bottom portion of the frame supports the corrugated blank during thegluing process. The top portion of the frame, which includes the glueapplicator, extends over the top of the corrugated blank so as to beable to reach the glue flap in the middle of the corrugated blank. Forlarger sized corrugated blanks, gluers with even larger sized frames areneeded. These large gluing machines can occupy valuable space in amanufacturing or other type of facility.

The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments thatsolve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such asthose described above. Rather, this background is only provided toillustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodimentsdescribed herein may be practiced.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to the manufacture andconstruction of packaging materials. More particularly, embodimentsrelate to methods and devices for gluing packaging materials, such aspackaging templates formed of corrugated board.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a gluing device isdisclosed. In one aspect, the gluing device includes a support structureupon which a gluing apparatus and a support plate assembly are mounted.The support plate is configured for supporting and aligning a packagingmaterial for gluing and assembly by the gluing apparatus. The gluingapparatus includes a first clamp configured for selectively and securelyholding a first portion of the packaging material on the support plate,a glue dispensing nozzle fluidly coupled to a glue supply, and a foldingapparatus configured for folding the first portion of the packagingmaterial onto a second portion of the packaging material.

In one aspect, the glue dispensing nozzle is movably mounted to thesupport structure such that the glue dispensing nozzle can beselectively moved between a first position and a second position on thesupport structure to facilitate application of glue along a length of atleast one edge surface of the packaging material. Optionally, the gluedispensing nozzle may be operatively coupled to a track structure and adrive assembly adapted to facilitate movement of the glue dispensingnozzle between the first and second positions. Optionally, the gluedispensing nozzle may be operatively coupled to at least a first sensorconfigured to detect the packaging material, so as to cause the gluedispensing nozzle to dispense glue onto the packaging material between afirst end and a second end.

In another aspect, a folding apparatus is configured for folding thefirst portion of the packaging material onto a second portion of thepackaging material after glue has been applied to at least one edgesurface of at least one of the first portion or the second portion.Optionally, the first clamp and the folding apparatus may be motorizedto facilitate holding and folding of the packaging material.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method forconstructing a box is disclosed. The method includes providing a boxblank that has a plurality of side-by-side panels and a glue tabextending from one of the panels. A crease or score is optionallydisposed between the side-by-side panels and the glue tab to facilitatefolding of the box blank. The box is arranged into a generallyrectangular shape so that an edge of a first panel and a glue tab arepositioned adjacent to one another and on a perimeter of the box blank.The glue tab is secured to the first panel to form a glued box blank,wherein securing the glue tab to the first panel includes inserting thebox blank into a first side of a gluing device. In one aspect, thegluing device is adapted for securely holding a portion of the glue tabin place, securely holding a portion of the first panel in place suchthat the edge of the first panel is positioned adjacent to the glue tab,applying glue to at least one of the glue tab and the edge of the firstpanel, and folding the glue tab onto the first panel with the gluetherebetween.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a gluing deviceincludes a gluing apparatus having a glue dispensing nozzle fluidlycoupled to a glue supply, wherein the glue dispensing nozzle isoperatively coupled to a track structure and a motorized drive assemblyto facilitate movement of the glue dispensing nozzle from a firstposition to a second position so as to enable application of glue alonga length of at least one edge surface of a box blank, the box blankhaving a plurality of side-by-side panels and at least one glue tabextending from a first panel of the box blank.

Additionally, the device includes a support plate configured forsupporting the box blank as the glue dispensing nozzle applies gluethereto, at least one alignment means for aligning the box blank on thesupport plate substantially below the glue dispensing nozzle, and atleast one sensor configured for detecting a first end and a second endof the glue tab, wherein the at least one sensor is operativelyassociated with the glue dispensing nozzle so as to cause the gluedispensing nozzle to apply glue to the box blank only between the firstand second ends of the glue tab.

The device also includes a first clamp configured for selectively andsecurely holding at least a portion of glue tab on the support plate, asecond clamp configured for selectively and securely holding a secondportion of the packaging material on the support plate, and a foldingapparatus configured for folding the glue tab onto an adjacent panel ofthe box blank after glue has been applied to at least one edge surfaceof at least one of the glue tab or the adjacent panel.

Optionally, the folding apparatus is configured for folding the firstportion of the packaging material onto a second portion of the packagingmaterial after glue has been applied to at least one edge surface of atleast one of the first portion or the second portion.

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the descriptionwhich follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or maybe learned by the practice of the teachings herein. Features andadvantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of theinstruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims. Features of the present invention will become more fullyapparent from the following description and appended claims, or may belearned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of thepresent invention, a more particular description of the invention willbe rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which areillustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that thesedrawings depict only illustrated embodiments of the invention and aretherefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention willbe described and explained with additional specificity and detailthrough the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a view of an exemplary gluing device, according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a box blank that can be glued with the gluing deviceof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates the box blank of FIG. 2 having been glued with thegluing device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates a box blank in two separate parts that can be gluedwith the gluing device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 illustrates the box blank of FIG. 4 having been glued with thegluing device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 illustrates a view of an exemplary gluing device and an operator;

FIG. 7 illustrates a partial cut-away view of the exemplary gluingdevice of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8A illustrates a cut-away view of the gluing device of FIG. 7 takenalong the line 8A-8A; and

FIGS. 8B-13 illustrate cut-away views of the gluing device of FIG. 7taken along the line 8B-13-8B-13 to show the actions of variouscomponents of the gluing device when gluing a glue tab to another panelof a box blank.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments described herein extend to methods, devices, systems,assemblies, and apparatus for gluing objects. Such are configured to,for example, reliably glue objects in a simple and efficient manner.

Reference will now be made to the drawings to describe various aspectsof exemplary embodiments of the invention. It is understood that thedrawings are diagrammatic and schematic representations of suchexemplary embodiments, and are not limiting of the present invention,nor are any particular elements to be considered essential for allembodiments or that elements be assembled or manufactured in anyparticular order or manner. No inference should therefore be drawn fromthe drawings as to the necessity of any element. In the followingdescription, numerous specific details are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be clear,however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present inventionmay be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, wellknown aspects of gluing devices and methods, general manufacturingtechniques, and packaging products are not described in detail herein inorder to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the novel aspects of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 1-13 and the following discussion are intended to provide a briefgeneral description of exemplary devices in which embodiments of theinvention may be implemented. While gluing apparatuses for gluingpackaging is described below, this is but one single example, andembodiments of the invention may be implemented with other types ofglueable objects. Accordingly, throughout the specification and claims,the phrases “glueable object,” “glueable item,” “packaging material,”“box blank,” and the like are intended to apply broadly to any type ofitem that can be glued with a system or device as described herein.

With reference to FIG. 1, an exemplary gluing device 100 configured forgluing a gluable item is broadly illustrated. For clarity, the gluingdevice 100 in FIG. 1 is shown with cover 103 in an open position;however, the gluing device 100 can be operated with the cover 103 openor closed. The gluing device 100 includes an outer housing 102, thecover 103, and a support plate 132 upon which a packaging material canbe supported during a gluing process. As illustrated, the gluing device100 is disposed on a support structure 130 (e.g., a table top) thatincludes a number of support legs 134. The support plate 132 may beintegral to either the support structure 130 or to the outer housing 102of the gluing device 100.

A glue dispensing apparatus 104 configured for dispensing glue onto agluable item is disposed in the outer housing 102. The glue dispensingapparatus 104 is mounted on a mounting bracket 106, which is movablymounted to a track structure 108 such that the glue dispensing apparatus104 can be selectively moved between a first position and a secondposition on the support structure to facilitate application of gluealong a length of at least one edge surface of a gluable item. Thegluing device 100 further includes a glue reservoir 114 (e.g., a hotglue reservoir) that is fluidly coupled to the glue dispensing apparatus104 via lines 116, 118, and 112 and flexible conduit 110.

The gluing device 100 further includes a number of switches 124 a-124 ethat may be used to change the mode of the device 100 from, for example,a manual mode where an operator manually initiates the gluing process toan automatic mode where the device 100 may automatically initiate thegluing device when a gluable item is inserted into the device 100.Additionally, a foot pedal 120 is coupled to the device 100 via a cordor line 122. The foot pedal 120 can be used to manually initiate thegluing process. Once the packaging material has been glued, andoptionally stacked, additional packaging material can be glued in asimilar manner with the gluing device.

Referring now to FIG. 2, an example of a corrugated box blank 200 thatcan be glued using the device 100 described herein is illustrated. Thebox blank 200 includes four side-by-side panels 202 a-202 d and a gluetab 206. The side-by-side panels 202 a-202 d and the glue tab 206 areseparated by longitudinal creases 208 a-208 c and 210. Additionally,each panel includes transverse score lines 212 a-212 h and slots 214a-214 f that define opposing flaps 204 a-204 h. The opposing flaps 204a-204 h may be folded to create the top and bottom portions of a box.The longitudinal and transverse creases (208 a-208 c and 210 and 212a-212 h), slots 214 a-214 f, and glue tab 206 can be formed with acreasing/slotting unit and/or a die cutter unit. Optionally, as will bedescribed in greater detail below, the crease 210 disposed between theglue tab 206 and panel 202 a can instead be formed by the gluing device.

With the longitudinal and transverse creases (208 a-208 c and 210 and212 a-212 h) and slots 214 a-214 f formed in the box blank 200, the boxblank 200 can be folded along the crease line 208 b as shown in FIG. 3,and the glue tab 206 can be attached to the adjacent panel 202 d inorder to form a box 200 a. For reasons described below, it is notablethat the box blank 202 a as folded and glued in FIG. 3 has the glue tab206 positioned at an edge of the box 200 a rather than in the middle. Itis also notable that the glue tab 206 is positioned on the outside ofthe adjacent panel 202 d rather than inside the adjacent panel 202 d.

FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a box blank that isseparated into two separate pieces 300 a and 300 b that can be gluedtogether to form a box. The box blank half 300 a includes twoside-by-side panels 302 a-302 b and a glue tab 306 a. Likewise, the boxblank half 300 b includes two side-by-side panels 302 c-302 d and a gluetab 306 b. The side-by-side panels 302 a-302 b and the glue tab 306 aare separated by longitudinal creases 308 a and 310 a, respectively.Similarly, side-by-side panels 302 c-302 d and the glue tab 306 b areseparated by longitudinal creases 308 b and 310 b, respectively.Additionally, each of the side-by-side panels 302 a-302 d includestransverse score lines 312 a-312 h and slots 314 a-314 d that defineopposing flaps 304 a-304 h that can be folded to create the top andbottom portions of a box. The longitudinal and transverse creases (308a-308 b, 310 a-310 b, and 312 a-312 h), slots 314 a-314 d, and glue tabs306 a-306 b can be formed with a creasing/slotting unit and/or a diecutter unit. Optionally, as will be described in greater detail below,the creases 310 a-310 b disposed between the glue tabs 306 a-306 b andthe attached panel 302 a and 302 d can instead be formed by the gluingdevice.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, to form a box 300 c, the two box blank halves300 a and 300 b can be overlaid on top of one another with the two gluetabs 306 a and 306 b on opposite ends. In a first gluing step, glue tab306 a can be attached to it corresponding adjacent panel 302 c using thegluing device described herein. In a second gluing step, the two boxblank halves 300 a and 300 b, which are now attached between glue tab306 a and panel 302 c, can be removed from the device, rotated 180° andflipped over, and reinserted into the device so that glue tab 306 b canbe glued to its corresponding adjacent panel 302 b.

Turning now to FIGS. 6-13, various views of the gluing device accordingsome embodiments of the present invention are illustrated.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an exemplary gluing device 100having a box blank 200 disposed on the support structure 130 for gluingin the gluing device 100. In addition, an operator 600 is included forthe sake of scale.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, a partial cut-away view of the gluingdevice 100 is additionally shown. As was discussed with reference toFIG. 1, the gluing device 100 includes an outer housing 102, the cover103, and a support structure 130 (e.g., a table top) that includes anumber of support legs 134. A glue dispensing apparatus 104 configuredfor dispensing glue onto the box blank 200 is disposed in the outerhousing 102. The glue dispensing apparatus 104 is mounted on bracket106, which is in turn coupled to track structure 108 such that the gluedispensing apparatus 104 can be selectively moved between a firstposition and a second position on the support structure to facilitateapplication of glue along a length of at least one edge surface of thebox blank 200. The movement of the glue dispensing apparatus 104 fromthe first position to the second position is indicated by arrow 144 Thegluing device 100 further includes a glue reservoir 114 (e.g., a hotglue reservoir) that is fluidly coupled to the glue dispensing apparatus104 via conduits 116, 118, and 112 and flexible conduit 110. Theflexible conduit 110 is configured, for example, to prevent the tanglingof the lines 112 as the gluing apparatus 104 moves back and forth.

The gluing device 100 further includes a number of switches 124 a-124 ethat may be used to change the mode of the device 100 from, for example,a manual mode where an operator manually initiates the gluing process toan automatic mode where the device 100 may automatically initiate thegluing device when a gluable item is inserted into the device 100.Additionally, a foot pedal 120 is coupled to the device 100 via a cordor line 122. The foot pedal 120 can be used to manually initiate thegluing process. Once the packaging material has been glued, andoptionally stacked, additional packaging material can be glued in asimilar manner with the gluing device.

Additionally, as can be seen in the partial cut-away view in FIG. 7, thegluing device 100 includes a numbers of actuating pistons (e.g., 142 and170) and a number of actuator arms (e.g., 140) that can be used toactuate clamps (e.g., 136 and 138) and number of other devices that areadapted to perform the gluing and folding processes involved in gluingand folding a box blank 200. The devices adapted to perform the gluingand folding processes involved in gluing and folding a box blank 200will be discussed in greater detail below in reference to FIGS. 8A-13.

Referring now to FIGS. 8A and 8B, opposing cut-away views of the gluingdevice 100 taken along lines 8A-8A and 8B-13-8B-13 of FIG. 7 are shown.In FIGS. 8A and 8B, a box blank 200 is aligned and supported on thesupport structure 130 for gluing and assembly by the gluing device 100.The gluing device 100 includes a number of mechanical structures thatare adapted for applying glue to the box blank 200 and folding andsealing the glue tab 206 onto the adjacent panel 202 d of the box blank200.

The gluing device 100 includes a first clamp 156 configured forselectively and securely holding a first portion (e.g., the glue tab206) of the box blank 200 on the support plate 132 and a second clamp136 and 138 configured for selectively and securely holding a secondportion of the box blank 200 on the support plate 132. As shown in FIGS.8A and 8B, the first and second clamps are in an “up” position. Thepositioning of the first clamp 156 is controlled by lever arm 158 andpiston 160, which are coupled to one another and to the first clamp 156.The positioning of the first clamp 156 can be controlled by extendingpiston 160 for the “up” position or retracting the piston 160 for the“down” position. Similarly, the positioning of the second clamp 136 and138 is controlled by levers 140 and pistons 142 (FIG. 7). As the gluingprocess proceeds, the first and second clamps 156 and 136/138 are ableto cycle up to permit a box blank 200 to be inserted into the device100, to cycle to a “down” position to securely hold the box blank 200,and to cycle back to the up position to release the glued box blank 200so that it can be withdrawn from the device 100. The cycling of theclamps and the gluing process can be automatically initiated byinsertion of the box blank 200 into the device 100 or it can be manuallyinitiated by an operator.

Additionally, at least one of the support plate assembly 132 or thegluing device 100 includes an alignment means such as a guide rail, astop, an alignment tab, markings, sensors, or another alignment meansthat facilitates the proper positioning of the box blank 200 on thesupport plate 132 so that glue can be applied to the proper parts of thebox blank 200. In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 8A-13, thealignment means includes a dividing wall 154 that is disposed in thegluing device 100. As the box blank 200 is inserted into the gluingdevice 100, the glue tab 206 can be aligned against the dividing wall154 to properly align the glue tab 206 and the box blank 200 for glueapplication and folding. In this manner, a user can quickly,conveniently, and correctly position a box blank 200 on the supportplate 132 without requiring the user to visually inspect box blank's 200position. The dividing wall 154 also includes a number of cutouts 155configured to permit the clamps to cycle up and down during the gluingprocess. It will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, that thealignment means can be configured in any other manners without departingfrom the present invention.

The gluing apparatus further includes a glue dispensing apparatus 104fluidly coupled to a glue supply (e.g., 144 in FIG. 6) via glue line112. The glue dispensing apparatus 104 further includes a glue dispenserbody 105 and a glue dispensing nozzle that includes a proximal portion146 that is coupled to the body 105 and a distal portion 148 thatprojects toward the box blank 200. In the illustrated example, the gluedispensing apparatus 104 is movably mounted to the gluing device 100 ona track 108 with a number of wheels 107 such that the glue dispensingapparatus 104 can be selectively moved between a first position and asecond position to facilitate application of a stream of glue along alength of at least one edge surface of the box blank 200.

The dispensing of glue through the dispensing nozzle 146/148 can becontrolled by various mechanical mechanisms. For example, once a boxblank 200 is positioned so that the dispensing nozzle 146/148 isadjacent the glue tab 206, the operator of the device may activate thedispensing nozzle 146/148 by way of a button, lever, switch, pedal, orthe like (e.g., the foot pedal 120) to begin application of the glue tothe box blank 200. Once a desired amount of glue has been applied to theglue tab 206 and/or adjacent panel 202 d, the operator can deactivatethe dispensing nozzle 146/148 using the same or a different button,lever, switch, pedal, or the like.

In one embodiment, a sensor 150 for detecting the presence of an objectto be glued in the gluing device 100 is operatively coupled to the gluedispensing apparatus 104. The sensor 150 depicted in FIG. 8A is aninfrared (IR) sensor capable of detecting the presence of a box blank200 that is inserted into the device. The IR beam of the sensor 150 isschematically represented at 152. When the sensor detects the presenceof a box blank 200 or another gluable item inserted into the device 100below glue nozzle 146/148, the sensor can be configured to permit glueto be dispensed from the glue dispensing apparatus. For example, with abox blank 200 disposed below glue nozzle 146/148, as the glue dispensingapparatus 104 moves horizontally from the first position to the secondposition. The sensor 150 can be positioned such that the apparatus 104will dispense glue only when the nozzle 146/148 is over the box blank200. This prevents the glue dispensing apparatus 104 from dispensingglue where it is not needed. While an IR sensor system is describedherein, one will appreciate that other types of optical, electronic, andmechanical sensors (e.g., laser based sensors, photodetector, motiondetectors, proximity sensor, video camera, ultrasonic sensor, sonarsensor, radar sensor, a mechanical stylus, or any combination thereof)can be adapted to detect the presence of a gluable object in the gluingdevice and to direct application of glue to the selected portions of thegluable object.

In one embodiment, the sensor 150 can be linked to an automated systemthat detects the presence of the box blank 200 and that automaticallydirects the device 100 to begin dispensing glue onto the glue tab 206and/or the adjacent panel 202 d. The automated system can also detectwhen sufficient glue has been applied to the glue tab and/or adjacentpanel or when the glue tab and/or box blank is no longer present at thedispensing nozzle. In either case, the automated system will deactivatethe dispensing nozzle to stop the flow of glue therefrom.

The gluing device also includes a folding apparatus configured forfolding the glue tab 206 of the box blank 200 onto an outside portion ofthe adjacent panel 202 d of the box blank 200. The folding apparatus isconfigured to fold the glue tab onto the adjacent panel after glue hasbeen applied to at least one edge surface of at least one of the gluetab or the adjacent panel.

The folding apparatus includes a first folding 162 bar that isconfigured to lift, smooth, and fold the glue tab 206 onto the adjacentpanel 202 d of the box blank 200. The positioning of the first foldingbar 162 is controlled by at least one mechanical actuator (piston 164),which can be driven to lift, smooth, and fold the glue tab 206 onto theback side of the first clamp 156 and, after the first clamp 156 islifted up, the first folding bar 162 can fold the glue tab 206 onto theadjacent panel 202 d of the box blank 200. The folding apparatus alsoincludes a second folding bar 166 that can come up under the distal endof the box blank 200 as the first folding bar 162 is folding the gluetab 206. The positioning of the second folding bar is controlled bylever arm 168 and at least one mechanical actuator (e.g., piston 170).

The second folding bar 166 is configured to support the support plate132 under the distal end of the box blank 200. As such, the secondfolding bar 166 supports the support plate during the folding processand prevents the support from sagging down when the folding force isapplied by the first folding bar 162. The second folding bar 166 is alsoconfigured to increase the efficiency of the folding process by workingwith the first folding 162 bar to act as a pinch clamp to press the gluetab 206 onto the adjacent panel 202 d of the box blank 200. Thisarrangement of the first and second folding bars 162 and 166 permits theuse of less rigid materials in the first and second folding bars 162 and166 and the support plate. It also permits the use of fewer and lessrigid internal structures in the device 100 because the device 100pinches one edge of the box blank 200 to make the seal as opposed tohaving an arm that has to reach over to the middle of the box.

In one embodiment, the first and second folding bars 162 and 166 areseparately and individually actuated by at least one mechanical actuator(e.g., pistons 164 and 170) that are adapted for cycling the first andsecond folding bars 162 and 166 through the series of movements in thefolding process. In another embodiment, the first and second foldingbars 162 and 166 are separately and individually actuated by a pluralityof spaced apart mechanical actuators (e.g., pistons 164 and 170) thatare adapted for cycling the first and second folding bars 162 and 166through the series of movements in the folding process. The number ofmechanical actuators needed is a function of the size of the device 100(i.e., the length of the folding bars 162 and 166) and of the rigidityof the folding bars 162 and 166. If the device 100 is small and/or thefolding bars 162 and 166 are particularly rigid, one or two mechanicalactuators may be sufficient. However, in a larger device 100 and/or adevice 100 having less rigid folding bars, 162 and 166 a number ofmechanical actuators may be needed in order to apply sufficientfolding/sealing pressure to seal the glue tab 206 onto the adjacentpanel 202 d.

In one embodiment, the plurality of spaced apart mechanical actuatorsare disposed about 20 cm to about 80 cm apart, or about 30 cm to about60 cm apart, or, preferably, about 40 cm to about 50 cm apart. Actuatingthe first and second folding bars 162 and 166 with multiple mechanicalactuators may increase the mechanical advantage of the first and secondfolding bars 162 and 166 and allow the application of more even pressurealong the length of the box blank 200. Moreover, the use of multiplemechanical actuators may permit the use of first and second folding bars162 and 166 that are less rigid without compromising the ability toapply evenly distributed pressure along the length of the box blank 200.

Referring now to FIGS. 9-13, additional stages in the folding processare illustrated. FIGS. 8A and 8B discussed above represent a first stagein the folding process where the box blank 200 is inserted into thefolding device 100 and detected by the sensor 152. FIG. 9 represents asecond stage of the folding process.

In the second stage, the first and second clamps 156 and 136/138 cycleto the down position to clamp the box blank 200 onto the support plate132. The first clamp 156 is configured to hold at least one layer of thebox blank 200 at the distal end of the box blank 200. For example, thefirst clamp 156 may come down on a portion of the glue tab 206 that hasa crease 210 to facilitate holding of the glue tab 206 during the gluingprocess and folding of the glue tab 206 after glue has been applied tothe box blank 200. In another example, the first clamp 156 may form thecrease 210 in the glue tab 206. In yet another embodiment, the firstclamp 156 may come down on a portion of adjacent panel 202 d so tofacilitate holding of both adjacent panel 202 d and the glue tab 206while glue is applied, as well as to facilitate folding of the glue tab206 after glue has been applied. The second clamp 136/138 holds at leasttwo layers of box material. For instance, the second clamp 136/138 canbe lowered down on top of panel 202 c and/or 202 d within panels 202 aand 202 b respectively therebelow. In this manner second clamp 136/138can hold the box blank 200 in place on top of the support plate 132.With the box blank 200 held firmly in place by the first and secondclamps 156 and 136/138, the glue dispensing apparatus 104 can apply glue(e.g., a bead of glue shown schematically at 172) to at least one of theglue tab 206 or an outside portion of the adjacent panel 202 d that willmate with the glue tab 206 when it is folded.

FIGS. 10-13 illustrate the steps in folding the glue tab 206 onto theadjacent panel 202 d. In the illustrated embodiment, the folding bars162 and 166 are configured for folding the glue tab 206 of the box blank200 onto the adjacent panel 202 d of the box blank 200 in at least twostages or steps. In the first step of the folding process illustrated inFIG. 10, the second folding 166 bar can be lifted up under the glue tab206 and the distal end of the box 200 while the first folding bar 162lifts, smoothes, and folds the glue tab 206 up past 90° against the backside the first clamp 156 with the first clamp 156 in the down position.

As noted, as the first folding bar 162 lifts up, it can smooth the gluetab 206 against the back side of the first clamp to ensure that the gluetab is flat and folded along the creased portion 210. This feature ofthe present invention is particularly advantageous when the box blank200 is formed from a supply of endless packaging material, such ascorrugated cardboard, that has been folded in a fanfold configuration.As will be understood, when a supply of an endless packaging material,such as corrugated cardboard, is folded in a fanfold configuration,creases or folds are formed in the packaging material.

The fanfold creases can cause some difficultly when forming boxes out ofthe packaging material. For instance, when a box blank is cut from afanfolded packaging material, the fanfold crease may not align with thecreases used to form the various panels of the box blanks. By way ofexample, a fanfold crease may extend down the middle of one of thepanels or the glue tab. These fanfold creases can cause the box blanknot to lie flat, which can cause the panels and glue tab not to readilyalign when the glue tab is to be glued. This can cause the operator tohave to hold the panels and glue tab in place while the glue tab isbeing attached.

The gluing devices of the present invention minimizes the difficultiespresented by fanfold creases. Since the gluing device of the presentinvention applies glue and attaches the glue tab when the glue tab ispositioned on the edge of the box blank, the only time the fanfoldcreases pose any real difficulty is when the fanfold crease extends downthe middle of the glue tab. However, the frequency with which thefanfold crease will extend down the middle of the glue tab is veryminimal. Nevertheless, the first folding bar 162 cooperates with thefirst clamp 156 to smooth out any fanfold creases that may be present inthe glue tab. Specifically, as the first folding bar 162 lifts the gluetab 206 up, the first folding bar 162 moves along the back side of thefirst clamp 156 so as to fold the glue tab 206 up against the back sideof the first clamp 156. The first folding bar 162 is offset from thefirst clamp 156 just enough to allow the glue tab 206 to be positionedtherebetween, but close enough to prevent any fanfold creases in theglue tab 206 from causing the glue tab 206 to fold or bunch. Thus, asthe first folding bar 162 folds the glue tab 206 into the position shownin FIG. 10, any fanfold creases in the glue tab 206 will be smoothed outso that the glue tab 206 is ready to be attached to panel 202 d.

A second stage of the folding process is illustrated in FIGS. 11-13. Asillustrated in FIG. 11, the first clamp 156 cycles up so that it liftsoff of the glue tab 206. One of the reasons that the glue tab 206 isfolded past 90° is illustrated in this step. When the first clamp 156lifts up, the adjacent panel 202 d may have a tendency to lift as well.However, because the glue tab 206 is angled over the adjacent panel 202d, the adjacent panel 202 d cannot lift up past the glue tab 206. Assuch, if the adjacent panel 202 d lifts up, the glue tab 206 can capturethe adjacent panel 202 d and press it back down as the folding processproceeds in the subsequent steps.

As illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13, the first folding bar 162 folds theglue tab 206 onto the adjacent panel 202 d. As the first folding bar 162presses the glue tab down, a lever arm 163 that is coupled to the firstfolding bar 162 presses against the dividing wall 154 to drive the firstfolding bar 162 down and forward to press the glue tab onto the adjacentpanel 202 d. In a similar fashion, the second folding bar 166, which islifted up, works with the first folding bar 162 to press the glue tab206 onto the adjacent panel 202 d. As can be seen in FIGS. 12 and 13,the first and second folding bars 162, 166 are positioned on opposingsides of the box blank 200. This configuration of the first and secondfolding bars 162, 166 allows them to act as a pinching clamp to firmlypress the glue tab 206 onto panel 202 d. Notably, because the box blank200 is glued with the glue tab 206 on the edge rather than in themiddle, the pinching force required of the first and second folding bars162, 166 is much smaller that the force typically required in largeC-frame gluing devices.

Once the glue tab 206 is glued and folded onto the adjacent panel 202 d,the glued box blank 200 can be withdrawn from the gluing device from theside that it was inserted into the device. In one embodiment, the gluedispensing apparatus 104 is able to cycle back to the first positionwhile the steps in the process of folding the glue tab 206 onto theadjacent panel 202 d are proceeding. This allows the device 100 torecycle so that additional boxes can be glued more quickly using thegluing device. In particular, as the glue tab 206 is being folded ontopanel 202 d, the glue dispensing apparatus can move back to the firstposition (as shown in FIG. 7). As soon as the glue tab 206 has beenfolded and secured to panel 202 d and the box blank 200 has been removedfrom gluing device 100, another box blank 200 can be inserted and gluedispensing apparatus 104 will be ready to apply glue thereto.

As noted above, many typical gluing devices are configured to glue boxblanks which are folded so the glue tab is positioned in the middle ofthe box blank, thus requiring a large frame that can reach the middle ofthe box blank in order to apply the glue to the glue tab and press theglue tab against the adjacent panel. The configuration of these largeframes makes it more difficult to apply the glue and pressure to the boxblanks. Additionally, these large frames occupy significant amounts ofvaluable space. Furthermore, the large size of typical gluing devicesmeans that the distance and time required of a handler to process a boxblank through the various machines (i.e., the box cutting/creasingdevice, gluing device, etc.) is greater than if the devices weresmaller.

The gluing device 100 of the present invention is sized and configuredto fit within a relatively small area so that the device 100 can beplaced in close proximity to other box processing devices. This leads toless distance and time required of a handler to process each box. Forinstance, the gluing device 100 of the present invention is adapted toglue a box blank when the box blank is folded so the glue tab ispositioned on an edge of the box blank, as illustrated, for example, inFIGS. 3 and 5. The gluing device 100 of the present invention therebyeliminates the need for a large frame in order to apply glue to the gluetab. Rather, the gluing device 100 of the present invention is able toapply glue to any size box blank without any adjustment, whilemaintaining the compact nature of the device so that the device can bepositioned relatively close to other devices.

The gluing device of the present invention can be sized to glue one ormore box blanks at a time. For example, as described above, the gluingdevice can receive and glue a single box blank at a time. Alternatively,the gluing device can be adapted to receive multiple box blanks at onetime. For example, multiple box blanks can be positioned and secured inplace with the clamp arm. Glue can then be applied to each of the boxblanks and the folding bar can be used to simultaneously fold each ofthe glue tabs for the multiple box blanks. Furthermore, the multiple boxblanks may be distinct box blanks which are individually placed on thesupport plate, or the box blanks may be attached to one another as aunit such that the unit is placed on the support plate at one time. Inthe case of the attached box blanks, the box blanks can be adapted to bereadily detached from one another after the gluing process is complete.In this manner multiple box blanks can be glued in a single gluingprocess, thereby increasing the number of boxes that can be formed in agiven time period.

As noted above, one of the advantageous features of the presentinvention is that box blanks of various sizes can be glued withouthaving to adjust the configuration or settings of the gluing device. Forexample, gluing device 100 can be used to glue the glue tab of a verylarge box blank by simply inserting the portion of the box blank withthe glue tab into the gluing device, as described above. Once the largebox blank has been glued, another box blank of a different size can beimmediately glued with gluing device 100 by following the sameprocedure. There is no need to reconfigure or adjust any parts of gluingdevice 100 in order to accommodate box blanks of different sizes. Thus,the gluing device of the present invention enables on-demand, or customsized boxes to be glued one after another without any downtime to adjustthe gluing device.

This feature of the invention is in contrast to most typical gluingdevices that require specific settings for each size box. Morespecifically, most box gluing device are configured to glue box blanksin batches based on the size of the box blanks. For instance, the gluingdevice can be set to glue a 20″×20″×20″. With these settings, a batch ofbox blanks, anywhere from dozens to hundreds of box blanks, will beglued. These box blanks are then stacked and shipped to consumers. Whenanother batch of box blanks of a different size, for example 10″×8″×6″,needs to be glued, the setting of the gluing device must be reset toaccommodate the different sized box blanks. Thus, each time a new sizebox blank needs to be glued, the settings of the gluing device need tobe adjusted. In contrast, the gluing device of the present invention isdesigned to gluing various sized box blanks one after another withouthaving to make any adjustments to the gluing device.

Returning attention to FIGS. 1 and 8A-13, the glue dispensing apparatus104 is attached to a glue source 114. In the illustrated embodiment, theglue source 114 includes a reservoir of glue that is attached to thedispensing nozzle by way of conduits 116 and/or 118 through which theglue is communicated between the reservoir 114 and the glue dispensingapparatus 104. The conduits 116 and/or 118 can be any suitable structurefor transporting the glue, including but not limited to pipes, tubes,hoses, and the like. The glue dispensing apparatus 104 can also includea pump to facilitate the transfer of glue from the reservoir to thedispensing nozzle.

The gluing device 100 can be adapted for use with various types ofglues. For example, when hot melt glue is used, such as a thermoplastic,the glue reservoir 114 can include a heating element in order to meltthe glue. The melted glue can then be transferred to the glue dispensingapparatus 104 through the conduits 116 and/or 118. Other types of glueswhich can be used with the gluing device 100 include cold glues,epoxies, elastomers, polymer-based adhesives, contact adhesives such asneoprene, and pressure sensitive adhesives.

While the glue dispensing apparatus 104 of the present embodiment isdescribed and illustrated as being attached via a conduit to a reservoirof glue 114, it will be appreciated that various other types of gluedispensing apparatuses 104 can be used with the gluing device 100 of thepresent invention. For example, a glue applicator that includes arefillable cartridge for glue sticks and a built in heating element formelting the glue prior to application can be used. One example of such asuitable glue applicator is a 3M Scotch Weld Hot Melt applicator. Such aglue applicator can be simple and convenient to use. For example, theglue dispensing apparatus 104 can be mounted to the gluing device 100support structure as described herein. A user can readily activate theglue dispensing apparatus 104 by pressing a button, pulling a trigger,and the like. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognizeother suitable types of glue applicators than can be used with thegluing device of the present invention.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method forconstructing a box is disclosed. The method includes providing a boxblank (e.g., box blank 200 of FIGS. 2 and 3) that has a plurality ofside-by-side panels and a glue tab extending from one of the panels. Acrease or score is optionally disposed between the side-by-side panelsand the glue tab to facilitate folding of the box blank. The box isarranged into a generally rectangular shape so that an edge of a firstpanel and a glue tab are positioned adjacent to one another and on aperimeter of the box blank. The glue tab is secured to the first panelto form a glued box blank, wherein securing the glue tab to the firstpanel includes inserting the box blank into a first side of a gluingdevice. In one aspect, the gluing device is adapted for securely holdinga portion of the glue tab in place, securely holding a portion of thefirst panel in place such that the edge of the first panel is positionedadjacent to the glue tab, applying glue to at least one of the glue taband the edge of the first panel, and folding the glue tab onto the firstpanel with the glue therebetween.

In one embodiment of the method described herein, the box blank ininserted into a first side of the gluing device for gluing and the gluedbox blank is withdrawn from the same side of the gluing device. Thisallows the gluing device described herein to occupy a much smallerfootprint relative to gluing machines that feed unfolded, unglued boxesinto one side of a machine and feed folded and glued boxes out of theother side of the machine.

The gluing device can also include various features that increase theconvenience of the gluing device. For example, the support structure ofthe gluing device can have wheels or casters mounted thereon. The wheelsor casters facilitate ready movement of the gluing device. Additionally,the gluing device can be formed or retrofitted with a larger supportplate than the one illustrated. A larger support plate can be usefulwhen gluing relatively large boxes. In particular, the larger supportplate allows more of, if not all of the box blank to rest thereupon,thereby requiring less effort on the part of the operator to maintainthe box blank in the proper orientation as the box blank is glued.Rather than using a larger support plate, however, a separate table canbe positioned adjacent to the gluing device.

While the various embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described as being able to glue a box blank in a generallyhorizontal orientation, it will be appreciated that the gluing device ofthe present invention can be oriented in any desired manner. Forexample, the support structures, support plates, glue applicators andthe like of the various embodiments can be positioned at various angles.In this manner, the gluing device of the present invention can beadapted to receive and glue a box blank in horizontal, vertical, or anyother orientation therebetween. Reconfiguring the gluing device in amore vertical manner can provide significant savings in terms of squarefootage used in a warehouse or other facility.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicatedby the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description. Allchanges which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of theclaims are to be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A gluing device that applies glue to a packagingmaterial and folds a first portion of the packaging material onto asecond portion of the packaging material with the glue therebetween,comprising: a support structure; a support plate coupled to the supportstructure, wherein the support plate supports the packaging materialthereon; a gluing apparatus having a glue dispensing nozzle coupled to aglue supply, the glue dispensing nozzle being movably mounted to thesupport structure such that the glue dispensing nozzle is selectivelymovable between a first position and a second position on the supportstructure to facilitate application of glue along a length of the secondportion of the packaging material; a first clamp positioned to a firstside of the glue dispensing nozzle and that selectively and securelyholds the first portion of the packaging material against the supportplate, the first clamp being movable between a first position and asecond position, wherein, in the first position, the first clamp pressesthe first portion of the packaging material against the support plate tosecurely hold the packaging material against the support plate while thegluing apparatus applies glue to the second portion of the packagingmaterial, and wherein, in the second position, the first clamp permitsthe packaging material to be inserted into or withdrawn from the gluingdevice; a second clamp spaced apart from the first clamp and positionedto a second side of the glue dispensing nozzle opposite to the firstclamp such that the glue dispensing nozzle can apply glue to at least apart of the second portion of the packaging material that is disposedbetween the first clamp and the second clamp, the second clampselectively and securely holds the second portion of the packagingmaterial against the support plate, the second clamp being movablebetween a first position and a second position, wherein, in the firstposition, the second clamp presses the second portion of the packagingmaterial against the support plate to securely hold the packagingmaterial against the support plate while the glue dispensing nozzleapplies glue to the second portion of the packaging material, andwherein, in the second position, the second clamp permits the packagingmaterial to be inserted into or withdrawn from the gluing device; and afolding apparatus positioned to the second side of the glue dispensingnozzle such that the gluing apparatus is disposed at least partiallybetween the second clamp and the folding apparatus, the foldingapparatus folds and presses the first portion of the packaging materialonto the second portion of the packaging material after glue has beenapplied to the second portion to secure together the first portion andthe second portion, wherein the folding apparatus folds and presses thefirst portion of the packaging material onto the second portion of thepackaging material while the second clamp securely holds the secondportion of the packaging material against the support plate.
 2. Thegluing device of claim 1, wherein the glue dispensing nozzle isoperatively coupled to a track structure that facilitates movement ofthe glue dispensing nozzle between the first and second positions. 3.The gluing device of claim 1, further comprising at least one alignmentmeans for aligning the packaging material on the support platesubstantially below the glue dispensing nozzle.
 4. The gluing device ofclaim 1, wherein the second portion of the packaging material includes aplurality of panels arranged side-by-side in a row, the packagingmaterial being foldable such that a first panel disposed at a first endof the row is positioned adjacent a second panel disposed at a secondend of the row opposite the first end, the second clamp simultaneouslyholding the first and second panels of the packaging material againstthe support plate.
 5. The gluing device of claim 1, wherein the secondclamp aligns an edge of the second portion of the packaging materialagainst the first clamp.
 6. The gluing device of claim 1, furthercomprising at least one sensor that detects the presence of thepackaging material below the glue dispensing nozzle.
 7. The gluingdevice of claim 1, wherein the folding apparatus folds the first portionof the packaging material onto the second portion of the packagingmaterial in at least two stages; in a first stage, the first portion isfolded past 90° with the first clamp holding the first portion; and in asecond stage, the first portion is folded onto the second portion afterthe first clamp is lifted off of the first portion.
 8. The gluing deviceof claim 1, wherein the folding apparatus includes at least a firstfolding bar and a second folding bar: the first folding bar folds thefirst portion of the packaging material onto the second portion of thepackaging material; and the second folding bar supports the packagingmaterial under the first folding bar to facilitate sealing the firstportion of the packaging material onto the second portion of thepackaging material, wherein the first folding bar and the second foldingbar are actuated by at least one mechanical actuator.
 9. The gluingdevice of claim 8, wherein the first folding bar and the second foldingbar are separately and individually actuated by a plurality of spacedapart mechanical actuators.
 10. A gluing device that applies glue to apackaging material and folds a first portion of the packaging materialonto a second portion of the packaging material with the gluetherebetween, comprising: a support structure; a support plate coupledto the support structure, wherein the support plate supports thepackaging material thereon; a first clamp that selectively and securelyholds the first portion of the packaging material against the supportplate, the first clamp being movable between a first position and asecond position, wherein, in the first position, the first clamp pressesthe first portion of the packaging material against the support plate tosecurely hold the packaging material against the support plate, andwherein, in the second position, the first clamp permits the packagingmaterial to be inserted into or withdrawn from the gluing device; asecond clamp spaced apart from the first clamp and that selectively andsecurely holds the second portion of the packaging material against thesupport plate, the second clamp being movable between a first positionand a second position, wherein, in the first position, the second clamppresses the second portion of the packaging material against the supportplate to securely hold the packaging material against the support plate,and wherein, in the second position, the second clamp permits thepackaging material to be inserted into or withdrawn from the gluingdevice; a gluing apparatus having a glue dispensing nozzle coupled to aglue supply, the glue dispensing nozzle being movably mounted to thesupport structure such that the glue dispensing nozzle is selectivelymovable between a first position and a second position on the supportstructure to facilitate application of glue along a length of the secondportion of the packaging material while the first clamp and the secondclamp securely hold the first portion and the second portion,respectively, of the packaging material against the support plate, theglue dispensing nozzle extending between the first clamp and the secondclamp such that the first clamp is disposed on a first side of the gluedispensing nozzle and the second clamp is disposed on a second side ofthe glue dispensing nozzle opposite the first clamp; and a foldingapparatus disposed on the first side of the glue dispensing nozzle suchthat the folding apparatus and the second clamp are disposed on oppositesides of the gluing apparatus, the folding apparatus folds and pressesthe first portion of the packaging material onto the second portion ofthe packaging material after glue has been applied to the second portionto secure together the first portion and the second portion, wherein thefolding apparatus i) folds the first portion of the packaging materialagainst the first clamp while the first clamp is in the first position,and ii) folds the first portion of the packaging material onto thesecond portion of the packaging material when the first clamp is in thesecond position.
 11. The gluing device of claim 10, wherein the firstclamp and the folding apparatus are separately motorized to facilitateholding and folding of the packaging material.
 12. The gluing device ofclaim 10, wherein the first clamp holds both the first portion and thesecond portion of the packaging material against the support plate. 13.The gluing device of claim 10, wherein the first clamp is motorized tofacilitate holding the first portion of the packaging material.
 14. Thegluing device of claim 10, wherein the gluing apparatus dispenses hotglue.
 15. The gluing device of claim 10, wherein the packaging materialcomprises a box blank having multiple side-by-side panels arranged in arow and a glue tab extending from an edge of one of the panels at an endof the row.
 16. The gluing device of claim 15, further comprising atleast one sensor that detects a first end and a second end of the gluetab, the at least one sensor being operably associated with the gluedispensing nozzle so as to cause the glue dispensing nozzle to dispenseglue onto the second portion of the box blank between the first end andthe second end of the glue tab.
 17. The gluing device of claim 15,wherein the glue dispensing nozzle dispenses glue onto an outer surfaceof a panel such that the glue tab can be glued to the outer surface ofthe panel.
 18. The gluing device of claim 10, wherein the first clamp ispositioned relative to glue dispensing nozzle on a side opposite to thesecond clamp.